Sick and Tired
by ShakNali
Summary: Is Jack leaving SG1? If so, why? And can anyone convince him to change his mind? Reviews appreciated
1. Chapter 1

**Sick and Tired**

**Part One**

Jack O'Neill sat quietly while Doctor Fraser finished treating the wound on his arm. It was a nasty staff weapon burn, although thankfully he hadn't caught the full blast. But that was not the cause of the concerned looks from the white-coated doctor. He was _too_ quiet, seemingly oblivious to both Janet's ministrations and the anxious glances of his teammates.

A small groan from the next bed did catch his attention and he slid off his seat to step over there. The Marine on the bed was heavily bandaged; he would be in sick bay for several days before being transferred to a full medical facility. O'Neill bent down to murmur to him and the man moved his unbandaged hand to grasp his weakly.

"Semper fi, sir," he whispered before falling asleep.

Jack straightened up and looked around the room. The others also bore bandages, and a nurse was placing a screen around the far bed where another Marine might or might not awaken from his injuries.

"Are we done here?" he asked sharply, and at Janet's nod he spun on his heel and left, not even hesitating at her call of his name.

The doctor turned a wide-eyed gaze on the other members of the party. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Daniel replied. "Jack's barely spoken two spare words since we got back. I've never seen him like this."

"Perhaps he will explain at the debriefing," Teal'C suggested, sounding puzzled as well.

But when they and the three remaining SG-5 members arrived at the briefing room, Sgt. Wilson informed them that General Hammond was debriefing Colonel O'Neill individually and had given orders that once they wrote their reports they were dismissed for the day. This was unprecedented; debriefings had always been a group review before the written reports.

The SG-5 members looked at Daniel and Teal'C, who in turn looked at each other uneasily. They'd seen O'Neill in just about every possible mood - angry, happy, resigned, even a bit crazy - but his current mood was outside their experience. As they sat down to write, each one reviewed the latest mission in their mind. What could have affected the Colonel this way?

Granted, it had been a tense mission from the beginning. The Tok'Ra had informed SGC that Ba'al was reopening an old naquada mine on PX-2651 and was planning to work it with forced slave labor. Samantha Carter had been off-world with SG-3, inspecting some alien equipment they'd found. Jack, Daniel and Teal'C were bored of being on break, so, along with SG-5 and a small unit of Marines, they had gone through the Gate to shut down the mine before it started. Unfortunately, they'd run into a much larger contingent of Jaffa than expected. They'd suffered five casualties just getting to the mine. Then they found out that Ba'al had already changed his mind and abandoned it because there wasn't enough ore left. Fighting their way back to the Gate had cost two more lives, plus a number of injuries. Nevertheless, no-one had been left behind, alive or dead.

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, replaying every moment. Jack O'Neill had been his usual efficient self. He had reacted better than anyone else could have under the circumstances. It was a testament to the Colonel's skill that any of them had survived the vastly unequal fight and made it back home. Daniel opened his eyes, met Teal'C's questioning gaze and shook his head. He was completely baffled.

Some time later, showered and changed, report done, Daniel made his way to the General's office. As he'd hoped, the General was alone and beckoned him into the room.

"I've been expecting you," he said, gesturing to a chair.

Daniel sat down and decided to skip the preliminaries. "General, what's going on?"

Hammond silently slid a piece of paper across the desk and Daniel took it, reading with increasing dismay.

"Resigned?" he asked incredulously. "Jack's quitting the SGC? But, but…" he sputtered to a stop, unable to think of words.

"Exactly," Hammond nodded. "Now, I'd like to know just what happened on PX-2651 to bring all this about."

"I don't know!" Daniel exclaimed, still shocked. "I've been trying to think…" He gathered himself with an effort. "You know things went bad. But we've had bad missions before. We've lost people before. I've just never seen Jack react like this before. Didn't he tell you why?"

The General sighed and shook his head. "No," he replied. "He just said he was sick and tired. I offered him some time off or at least time to reconsider, but he refused. I'm going to hold on to the paperwork for a while, but he was pretty definite about it."

That evening Dr. Jackson and Teal'C knocked on the door to Jack O'Neill's house. There was no answer, just as there'd been no answer to their earlier phone calls. Some lights were on, but Daniel knew that they were on a timer so the house wouldn't look empty on the many nights its owner was away. He tried peering in the windows, but most of the shades were drawn, so he had no idea if Jack was ignoring them or was actually gone. They finally gave up and left, feeling worried and frustrated.

In the darkness of his bedroom, shades drawn, lights off, Jack O'Neill sat on the edge of his bed. In his hands was a gun. His gun. The same gun that had killed his son, Charlie, a few years ago. Just as he had then, Jack sat silent and still, except for his hands, which turned the gun over and over…


	2. Chapter 2

**Sick and Tired**

**Part Two**

"Chevron 7 locked," the sergeant announced and waited while the familiar whoosh of the Stargate subsided. Then he glanced over his shoulder. "All set, sir."

General Hammond leaned towards the microphone. "SG-3, this is Hammond. Please respond. Over."

The only reply was static. The General repeated his call, again with no response. "How long are they overdue to report?" he asked.

The sergeant looked at the chronometer. "Twenty-one minutes, sir," he replied precisely.

Hammond considered for a moment. "Notify me if you haven't heard from them at an hour," he ordered.

At forty-three minutes the klaxon sounded and alarm lights flashed. "Unscheduled off-world activation," came the announcement. Hammond arrived at the gate-room as the last chevron locked.

"SG-3 ID code, sir," reported the sergeant a moment later, and Hammond nodded.

"Open the iris."

Everyone waited anxiously as a lone figure staggered through the wormhole.

"Close the iris," he called hoarsely and then collapsed.

A little while later Dr. Fraser and General Hammond stood next to Lt. Kelso's bed.

"I'm sorry, sir," he apologized again. "We thought the planet was deserted. There was no sign that anyone had been near the site in years. Then they just came out of nowhere. They have distance weapons of some sort. I think they left me for dead. They took Captain Carter and the others. I didn't know what to do, so I waited until they were gone and dialed the Gate." He stopped, obviously distressed.

The General placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Rest easy, son," he said. "You did exactly the right thing. We'll take it from here." Reassured, the lieutenant closed his eyes.

Shortly thereafter General Hammond knocked on Jack's door. There was no answer, but Hammond wasn't deterred.

"Colonel O'Neill, this is General Hammond. Open the door!" He pounded on the door and yelled until finally the door opened. A haggard-looking O'Neill considered him briefly then stepped aside to let him enter.

"I need you back at SGC," Hammond said without preamble.

"I quit," Jack replied flatly. "I'm tired. Let someone else save the universe."

"Fine," the General surprised him by agreeing, but then added, "However, I need _you_ to save Captain Carter and SG-3."

That got Jack's attention. He listened while Hammond explained, but then shook his head.

"You can send another--"

Hammond cut him off. "No. This is a serious situation and I want the best handling it. Whether you admit it or not, that's you. Your team departs at 1700 hours."

He left without giving Jack any further opportunity to respond. Outside, he paused for a moment and passed a hand over his face. He hoped this worked.

At 1655 hours Daniel and Teal'C waited anxiously in the gateroom with another group of Marines. When the door opened and O'Neill, in uniform, stepped through, their relief was obvious. But as they waited for the Gate to open, Daniel realized that Jack had the same set, remote look as he had the first time they'd met. The look of a man who had shut off his emotions to simply get a job done and not think about anything else. Jack might be with them physically, but mentally he had still not recovered. Daniel knew, as he followed him through the Gate, that the rescue would go through, but he couldn't help wondering if Jack meant to return from this mission.

On PX-2651 it was not difficult to find and follow the trail. Jack set a guard to watch the Gate area from under cover, deployed men to either side and headed off with Daniel and Teal'C close behind him. Daniel wanted to talk to Jack, try to get through to him, but the seriousness of the mission and the look on Jack's face stopped him. Later, he promised himself.

Nearly an hour later Jack suddenly raised a hand and then gave a voiceless double-click signal on his radio. Three Marines gathered in soundlessly from either side of them and everyone dropped to their elbows and knees to peer over the ridge. Below was a sturdily constructed village surrounded by a wall. Jack counted about 50 buildings and a reasonable number of inhabitants going about their business. The Marine next to him nudged his arm and pointed. Focusing his monocular on it, Jack saw a building that looked like a jail, being the only one with bars on the windows and standing apart from its neighbors.

O'Neill set his plans carefully. He emphasized that they would succeed by stealth and surprise, not force. During the hours until sunset they reconnoitered the area thoroughly. He set Daniel to watch the building and they were rewarded with a brief glimpse of Carter at one of the windows. Reassured of their goal, they reviewed the plan for getting in, out and to the Gate, along with several variations - just in case.

"I want no casualties - on either side," the Colonel ordered.

As expected, the gates swung closed shortly after sunset. In the gathering dusk O'Neill, Teal'C and Sgt. Warshaw moved to the point where the woods came nearest the wall. Four other Marines deployed to the opposite side of the village, to create a diversion if necessary. Daniel and the sixth Marine remained at their vantage point, watching both outside and inside the wall with night-glasses as a warning system for the others.

In the end, it was almost too easy. Upon word from Daniel that things were quiet, they swung a muffled hook up and climbed over the wall. Keeping to the shadows, they crept to the jail, easily overpowered the lone guard and set the captives free. Major McGee was injured, but mobile, and the others were unharmed. Soon they were back over the wall and the entire party headed for the Gate.

"Let's hold all the talk until we're home," said O'Neill. Daniel sighed in relief, both at the words and his tone. Jack flashed him a look and gave him a brief nod. It was probably all the apology or explanation he'd get, but Daniel was satisfied.

The next morning, after debriefing, Jack knocked on the General's door. Hammond looked up from his desk and beckoned to him.

"Sir, about that resignation…" he began.

"What resignation?" Hammond inquired innocently.

"Thank you, sir," Jack smiled, turned and went back to his team.


End file.
